Weinbeer and Peretti Continue Swiss Epic Dominance on Rerouted Stage 3

Anna Weinbeer and Claudia Peretti have been in imperious form over the first three days of the 2026 Swiss Epic. On Stage 3, the KTM Spada Brenta Brakes – Olympia team completed a perfect hat trick of victories, adding a further 4 minutes and 25 seconds to their overall advantage. In the Elite Men’s race, SCOTT Racing 2 made the racing on the rerouted 61-kilometre course but lost out in a sprint finish to Torpado Kenda FSA 2.

Torpado Kenda FSA’s Gioele de Cosmo and Jakob Dorigoni won Stage 3 by outsprinting SCOTT Racing 2. Photo by Sam Clark.

Heavy rain, low cloud cover, and near-freezing temperatures forced the Swiss Epic race organisers to reroute the course for the second day in a row, on Friday, 21 August 2026. As had been the case on Stage 2, when the Bernina Pass was removed from the course, on Stage 3 the towering 2 600-metre Scaletta Pass had to be avoided. This meant that the race could not cross the Alps from La Punt to Davos by bike. In the interest of rider safety, a 61-kilometre loop around the Engadin Valley was devised. The newly created Stage 3 route was an undulating one, which suited the powerful riders more than the lithe climbers, yet that made no difference to KTM Spada Brenta Brakes – Olympia’s dominance.

The teams had prepared for a Queen Stage on Stage 3, anticipating 2 650 metres of climbing and the long ascent to the summit of the Scaletta Pass. With the massive mountain removed, the third day of the race featured just 1 650 metres of climbing. This did not hinder Anna Weinbeer and Claudia Peretti, however.

For the third stage in a row, the Swiss and European Marathon champion and her Italian Marathon champion teammate were able to separate themselves from their rivals seemingly at will. Within the first 10 kilometres, the KTM Spada Brenta Brakes – Olympia team had established a lead which they then extended throughout the remaining 51 kilometres, until they crossed the line 4 minutes and 25 seconds ahead of the Torpado Kenda FSA Women.

“Today was very cold, but only for the last hour,” Weinbeer recounted. “We were lucky that we started dry, but then the last part it rained very hard and we got very cold.” “The bigger problem for me is Anna!” Peretti exclaimed. “I suffer because of Anna, not the weather!”

Anna Weinbeer and Claudia Peretti won their third stage of 2026 Swiss Epic to take their general classification lead to over 25 minutes. Photo by Nick Muzik.

Arguably the more interesting battle in the Elite Women’s race is unfolding behind the runaway orange jersey wearers. The Sportograf.com combination of Bettina Janas and Kim Ames had finished second on Stage 1, but lost time on Stages 2 and 3. This, along with the flatter courses, allowed Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Giorgia Marchet to power into second overall with their second second-place of the race.

“We’re happy with our performance today; we were able to push hard and gain a place on the general classification,” Marchet smiled. “Gaining that spot is great, but now we need to focus on the last two days. We did a similar stage around Davos last year, to the one we race tomorrow, and I think it’ll be fun, but hard. We’re ready for the last two days, and we’re ready to do battle.”

Katazina Sosna-Pinele and Giorgia Marchet in action on Stage 3. Photo by Sam Clark.

Having moved into second overall, the Torpado Kenda FSA Women are now the KTM Spada Brenta Brakes – Olympia team’s nearest rivals, 25 minutes and 33 seconds down. Janas and Ames still hold the third podium place, though that is increasingly under threat from Massi ISB Sport. Tessa Kortekaas and Amanda Bohlin finished third on Stage 3, taking back nearly 5 minutes from Sportograf.com. Kortekaas and Bohlin trail Janas and Ames by just 2 minutes and 36 seconds heading into Stage 4. Julika Pahl and Linda Detering, of Royally Exhausted Seawork Cares, hold fifth.

The Elite Men’s racing also saw a change in the podium places on Stage 3, as SCOTT Racing 2 launched a thrilling raid on the favourites group. Stefano Goria and Davide Foccoli attacked on the Zernez climb, 35 kilometres into the day, and only Torpado Kenda FSA 2 could follow their fellow Italians. Having started the stage in fourth overall, Goria and Foccoli were chasing time on the general classification, while Gioele de Cosmo and Jakob Dorigoni were riding more defensively. With two teams in the race, the Torpado Kenda FSA squad had dual ambitions and as such De Cosmo and Dorigoni had to consider that helping SCOTT Racing 2 would put pressure on Fabian Rabensteiner and Casey South of Torpado Kenda FSA 1.

“It was a really cool stage; a fun stage for me,” Goria grinned afterwards. “I tried, always, to be in the first position in the group, because it was really fast and if a gap opens to the guys in front you have to spend more energy to catch back up. We attacked on one of the longest uphills, in the middle of the stage, and the Torpado [Kenda FSA 2] guys followed. We were focused on the general classification, and the Torpado guys had their other team behind, so they didn’t work with us.”

Stefano Goria lead the breakaway during Stage 3 of the 2026 Swiss Epic. Photo by Nick Muzik.

“We were a bit disappointed that Gioele [de Cosmo] and Jakob [Dorigoni] didn’t help us,” Goria confessed. “But we understand. We’re friends and race against each other all year and even train together sometimes. They could have gained a bit more time on the general classification too if they helped, but that’s team racing, and we’re still friends.”

After creating an advantage of 70 seconds, the chase group started to whittle away at their deficit in the closing 10 kilometres. Klimatiza Orbea 1 and 2, Torpado Kenda FSA 1, the Stage 2 winners Honeycomb 226ers, and the men in yellow, the Engadin La Punt team, were all present in that group. Five teams were perhaps too many for a cohesive chase, yet they still managed to reduce SCOTT Racing 2 and Torpado Kenda FSA 2’s lead to 40 seconds by the finish line.

On the La Punt finish line, De Cosmo and Dorigoni outsprinted Goria and Foccoli, taking stage honours for Torpado Kenda FSA 2. SCOTT Racing 2 were second, but gained a vital 39 seconds on the group behind, which was led in by Marc Pritzen and Felix Stehli.

Fadri Barandun and Andrin Beeli are looking forward to steeper trails in Davos after two relatively flat stages in the Engadin. Photo by Nick Muzik.

“Today was hard, and now on the finish line it’s super cold,” De Cosmo stated. “It’s been super-hot this summer. Then we come here to Switzerland, and it’s cold. Yesterday I struggled with my breathing, and I had to work with the masseuse to work some things out. But today I felt okay; Jacob [Dorigoni] was super super strong, as were the SCOTT guys!”

“We stayed on their [SCOTT Racing 2’s] wheels for the last 20 kilometres, and they kept the pace really high,” Dorigoni added. “We couldn’t really help them, but also, we had Casey [South] and Fabian [Rabensteiner] in the group behind, and they are in a battle with SCOTT [Racing 2] for the overall, so as a team we needed to protect the Torpado [Kenda FSA] positions. We were confident in our sprint though.”

De Cosmo and Doringoni’s victory moved them up one place in the general classification standings, as they leapfrogged the Klimatiza Orbea 2 team, of Samuele Porro and Marc Stutzmann, into fifth. SCOTT Racing 2’s second place moved them ahead of the Honeycomb 226ers into third, while Torpado Kenda FSA 1 and Engadin La Punt maintained second and first overall.

Pump for Peace’s Damon Terblanche in action during Stage 3. Photo by Sam Clark.

“We’re not used to the cold anymore,” Andrin Beeli, of the Engadin La Punt team, said after the podium presentation. “The summer in Switzerland has been so hot; in June and July nearly every day was 30 degrees. You can wear warm clothes when it gets cold suddenly, but it’s still not easy; I feel for the amateur riders who are out there for a lot longer than us!”

“Yesterday and today didn’t suit us too much,” Beeli noted. “But tomorrow and on Sunday we are expecting some steep climbs and longer climbs, which will suit us a lot more. Like Fadri [Barandun] said after Stage 1, wearing yellow in the Swiss Epic is a dream come true, so I hope we’ll be able to bring it home.”

Beeli and Fadri Barandun’s advantage over the defending Swiss Epic champions, Rabensteiner and South, is 3 minutes and 11 seconds with two days left to race. Goria and Foccoli are at 3:28 back, just 3 seconds ahead of the Honeycomb 226ers, Pritzen and Stehli.

“The SCOTT guys are super strong, and that’s going to make the last two days very interesting,” De Cosmo predicted.

Stage 3 had been planned as a transition stage from La Punt to Davos, so the teams will have to drive north to Davos on Friday afternoon to be ready for Saturday’s Stage 4. The penultimate day of the 2026 Swiss Epic will see more rain. Fortunately, the prediction is for light and intermittent showers, and the temperature is expected to rise into the low teens rather than remaining in the single digits.

A short and challenging 55-kilometre course awaits in Davos. The Parsenn Climb to the Höhenweg, at 2 322 metres above sea level, ensures a tough start to the stage, before some of the most famous singletracks around Trail Paradise Davos reward riders for the climbing they will need to conquer. In total, 2 150 metres of elevation gain lie ahead on Stage 4 at an astonishing 39 metres of climbing per kilometre.

To share in the excitement from Davos, mountain biking fans can tune into the Swiss Epic’s live broadcast on the Epic Series YouTube Channel here. Daily highlights from the race can also be viewed on the YouTube Channel, and the excitement from the trails of Graubünden will be shared on the Swiss Epic Facebook page and @swiss_epic on Instagram. To find out more, visit www.epic-series.com/swissepic.

Elite Men’s Stage 3 podium. Photo by Sam Clark.

2026 Swiss Epic Results

Elite Men’s Stage 3 Results:

1. Torpado Kenda FSA 2: Gioele de Cosmo & Jakob Dorigoni (2:09:36)
2. SCOTT Racing 2: Stefano Goria & Davide Foccoli (2:09:37 | +1)
3. Honeycomb 226ers: Marc Pritzen & Felix Stehli (2:10:16 | +40)
4. Engadin La Punt: Fadri Barandun & Andrin Beeli (2:10:17 | +41)
5. Torpado Kenda FSA 1: Fabian Rabensteiner & Casey South (2:10:17 | +41)

Elite Women’s Stage 3 podium. Photo by Sam Clark.

Elite Women’s Stage 3 Results:

1. KTM Spada | Brenta Brakes – Olympia: Anna Weinbeer & Claudia Peretti (2:35:54)
2. Torpado Kenda FSA Women: Katazina Sosna-Pinele & Giorgia Marchet (2:40:20 | +4:25)
3. Massi ISB Sport: Tessa Kortekaas & Amanda Bohlin (2:43:58 | +8:04)
4. Sportograf.com: Bettina Janas & Kim Ames (2:48:52 | +12:58)
5. Royally Exhausted | Seawork Cares: Julika Pahl & Linda Detering (2:52:49 | +16:54)

The Engadin La Punt team lead the Elite Men’s general classification by 3 minutes and 11 seconds. Photo by Sam Clark.

Elite Men’s General Classification after Stage 3:

1. Engadin La Punt: Fadri Barandun & Andrin Beeli (6:25:46)
2. Torpado Kenda FSA 1: Fabian Rabensteiner & Casey South (6:28:57 | +3:11)
3. SCOTT Racing 2: Stefano Goria & Davide Foccoli (6:29:14 | +3:28)
4. Honeycomb 226ers: Marc Pritzen & Felix Stehli (6:29:17 | +3:31)
5. Torpado Kenda FSA 2: Gioele de Cosmo & Jakob Dorigoni (6:29:54 | +4:08)

The KTM Spada Brenta Brakes – Olympia team now lead by over 25 minutes. Photo by Sam Clark.

Elite Women’s General Classification after Stage 3:

1. KTM Spada | Brenta Brakes – Olympia: Anna Weinbeer & Claudia Peretti (7:52:33)
2. Torpado Kenda FSA Women: Katazina Sosna-Pinele & Giorgia Marchet (8:18:06 | +25:33)
3. Sportograf.com: Bettina Janas & Kim Ames (8:22:04 | +29:31)
4. Massi ISB Sport: Tessa Kortekaas & Amanda Bohlin (8:24:41 | +32:07)
5. Royally Exhausted | Seawork Cares: Julika Pahl & Linda Detering (8:45:09 | +52:36)

To view the full results from the 2026 Swiss Epic, click here.

Photo by Sam Clark.